2026 Market trends for legal jobs
Are contract managers in demand in Canada? What about legal assistants for legal departments?
Yes. There continues to be a demand for skilled candidates on legal teams across Canada to keep business-critical projects moving forward and enable companies to adapt to changing market conditions. According to the latest Robert Half Canada Demand for Skilled Talent Report, 62 per cent of legal hiring managers plan to increase hiring in 2026 – with all leaders surveyed citing they don’t have the necessary headcount and skills already on their teams to accomplish targets this year.
Skills gaps on teams are having an impact on hiring trends for legal jobs across Canada. More than half (58 per cent) of legal team leaders surveyed say upskilling current employees is needed to meet their targets for the year. Teams are seeing the most evident skill gaps in the following areas:
Legal technology (42 per cent)
Legal operations and workflow (40 per cent)
Legal research and analysis (32 per cent)
In addition to technical skills needed in the era of AI in the workplace, employers are also looking for soft skills when it comes to hiring for legal jobs. 60 per cent of legal team leaders surveyed in the Demand for Skilled Talent Report, say critical thinking and problem solving is the top soft skill to complement AI, with 57 per cent citing adaptability and continuous learning as the top soft skill. Other soft skills leaders noted to compliment AI were:
Creativity and innovation (57 per cent)
Communication (45 per cent)
Emotional intelligence (38 per cent)
Hiring plans for legal team managers
Hiring managers for legal teams across Canada have indicated their hiring plans for the first half of 2026:
62 per cent are planning to increase hiring
57 per cent are planning to increase contract hiring
67 per cent say hiring skilled talent is more difficult today compared to one year ago
Strategic priorities for companies in 2026
During the first half of 2026, legal team leaders in Canada will be primarily focused on the below strategic priorities:
Top corporate legal priorities:
Alternative legal service provider (ALSP) management
Data privacy and cybersecurity
AI and legal technology implementation
Top law firm priorities:
AI and legal technology implementation
Data privacy and cybersecurity
Succession planning and talent development
Data methodology
The surveys cited were developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. Results may not total 100% due to rounding or allowing for multiple responses. Respondents included executives, hiring managers and workers from small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-plus employees) businesses in private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across Canada.
Over 420,000 new positions from more than 5,400 unique independent job boards and company websites provided by TextKernel are represented in our analysis of in-demand roles, including 6,300-plus placements from Robert Half. This dataset includes roles across the finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources professions.
